Our piccata, made with chicken breast and served over whole-wheat pasta, replicates the rich lemon-caper sauce without the extra butter found in classic Italian piccatas. Make it a meal: Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired, and serve sauteed zucchini on the side.

Makes 4 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

6 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 chicken cutlets (3/4-1 pound total), trimmed
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 10-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 teaspoons butter

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Meanwhile, whisk 5 teaspoons flour and broth in a small bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their juices and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic and wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in parsley, capers, butter and the reserved mushrooms. Measure out 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce. Toss the pasta in the pan with the remaining sauce. Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the reserved sauce.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 401 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 57 mg cholesterol; 46 g carbohydrate; 30 g protein; 4 g fiber; 477 mg sodium; 750 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (20% daily value), Fiber (16% dv).
3 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1/2 vegetable, 3 1/2 lean meat

Quite tasty, but I did miss the excessive butter often used in this dish. Was a bit time consuming to prepare and clean up.

Linda, Northbridge, MA

Very nice dish--"Creamy" without the cream. Not as lemony as I expected. My wife says she doesn't like capers, so I minced them before adding--she loved the flavor. Sauteed zucchini side was nice.

Rob K., Niagara, ON

I used combination of multi-grain and regular pasta instead, I added lots of extra mushrooms because we love mushrooms. I didn't use any butter - instead used olive oil which turned out just fine. Added in zucchini as suggested. Husband really enjoyed it, can't wait to make it again!

Diane, Ontario, CA

This is one of my favorite EatingWell recipes. Absolutely delicious -- I can hardly tell a difference from the real thing. It's not the quickest meal I've ever prepared (but still doable on a weeknight), but it's well worth the effort. I wouldn't suggest saving it as leftovers (the coating on the chicken doesn't hold up so well when cooled and reheated), so make sure you have enough people to help you finish it all :)

Jen, Baltimore, MD

This was absolutely fantastic! I felt like I was eating at a nice Italian restaurant. It had a great amount of lemon flavor and the light breading on the chicken made me feel like I was splurging, when it is a quite healthy meal. This is a great idea for entertaining, and it was fun to make!

Leslie, Los Angeles, CA

This was a great recipe for a crowd, especially with a side of stir-fried zucchini and carrots w/ basil and parsley. However... the preparation time was just over an hour, not counting slicing all the veggies ahead of time with the food processor.

Kristine, Honolulu, HI

I found this to be easy to prepare and well within the time specified. I used prepared this meal exactly as the recipe indicated. It was delicous!!! A definite keeper for my recipe file.

Kathy, Odessa, DE

Wow!!! This was such a great meal, it left my family thinking i picked it up at a local Itialian Resturant. It was easy to make i didn't use Capers or butter, kept it kinda healthy! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Danielle Madrigal, Ontario, CA

Amazing recipe! my fiance and i both thought it was one of the best meals we have ever had. i also grinded some up for my son, and he LOVED it too! i will definitely be making this again.

jacky, NJ